1. Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, MI:

The Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout is a shoe in to be our #1 overall beer on our next Top 100 beer list. The seasonal Breakfast Stout was already on our top 10 list and the Founders Porter was our Philadelphia Beer Week Champion. Have you ever tasted the Centennial IPA or the Curmudgeon? Please. Founders Brewing Company is the #1 Brewery in the world!

2. Bell’s Brewing Inc, Kalamazoo, MI:

It’s hard putting Bell’s at #2 on this list because these guys have taken the art of beer making to perfection. From the Bell’s Expedition Stout to the Consecrator Dopplebock and the Hopslam are 3 of the best beers in the world hands down. Add the Kalamazoo Stout, Oberon Ale and the Two Hearted Ale and you have a magnum opus in beer making.

3. Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits, San Diego, CA:

The Ballast Point Sculpin IPA is largely considered to be the best India Pale Ale in the world. The Sculpin also won a gold medal at the 2010 World Beer Cup. The Calico Amber Ale is made like an English ESB but this American brew is also a gold medal winner. The Big Eye IPA and the Victory at Sea Imperial Vanilla Coffee Porter are entirely world class.

4. Stone Brewing Company, Escondido, CA:

Stone’s Ruination IPA, Imperial Russian Stout, Smoked Porter and Arrogant Bastard Ale are staples of the craft beer world, while their Anniversary Ale is one of the highest rated beers ever.

5. Port/Lost Abbey Brewing Company, San Marcos, CA:

The Lost Abbey Avant-Garde, Devotion and Yellow Bus along with the Port Old Viscosity, High Tide IPA and Santa’s Little Helper Stout put the Port/Lost Abbey Brewing at #5. Throw in the Hop 15 and Port/Lost Abbey competes with any brewery in the world.

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6. Victory Brewing Company, Downingtown, PA:

Victory’s Hopdevil, Prima Pils, and Golden Monkey are almost mainstream craft beers at this point but the Storm King Imperial Stout, Hopwallop, Baltic Thunder Porter, and V-12 are all world class while the Saison du Buff might be the best Saison in the world.

7. Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales, Milton, DE:

The 60 Minute, 90 Minute and 120 Minute IPA’s are some of the best IPA’s being brewed today. At the same time, the Old School Barley Wine and the Bitches Brew are some of the best beers in their class. Dogfish also collaborated with Victory on the Saison du Buff.

3. Ommegangs Witte:

5. St. Bernardis Blanche, 5.5%, Belgium. According to Ratebeer.com, the St. Bernardis witbier is made under the supervision of the father of Hoegarden and bottle re-fermented much like Blanche de Bruxelles.

6. Blue Moon, 5.4%, Golden, CO. You wouldn’t know it was a Coors product in a blind test. Blue Moon has great color and well balanced citrus for a Belgian Whit.

7. Allagash White, 5.2%, Portland, ME. The critically acclaimed Allagash was a little too heavy on the coriander spices with not enough citrus to balance it.

8. Wittekerke Witbier, 5.0% ABV, Belgium.

9. Shock Top, 5.2%, St. Louis, MS. It’s the Anheuser Busch answer to craft beer. Shock Top is not bad, but it lacked the flavor of its competition.

10. Leinenkugel’s Sunset Wheat, 4.9%, Chippewa Falls, WI. Sunset Wheat was way too heavy in floral, lavender, and sweet notes. It could be used for a bathroom air freshener.

11. Bud Light Golden Wheat, 4.1%, St. Louis MS, Another Anheuser Busch creation but to no surprise, it fell way short. It was a control to our experiment. There’s no taste, no aroma and a flavor that seems to fake the funk.

Are you down wit da witbier?

Blanche de Bruxelles is an excellent witbier and specialty of the farm-breweries of old Brabant, Belgium. Through a very slow brewing process and only the best crops, the master brewers infuse the non-filtered beer with coriander and bitter orange peels and then re-ferment the yeast and sugar. Blanche de Bruxelles owes its natural cloudiness to the large percentage (40 %) of wheat that goes into its composition. You need only take a sip of the Blanche de Bruxelles Belgian White to appreciate the fresh and mellow flavor with its hint of orange and realize that it’s not like any other beer. Also, there is a picture of a little devil child taking a wiz on the label. It’s amazing. Maybe that’s where this champion witbier gets it’s flavor.